The beginning of the school year was...well it was a challenge to put it nicely. Sixth grade is a whole other animal even though at Jake's school it's still considered grade school.
We've had homework almost every night since the start of school but thankfully it's mainly been in math. Jake can handle that pretty well on his own. It's a struggle but we've survived so far.
This year gave us a first though. A male teacher. Now for those of you that know Jake you know that he doesn't really have a lot of males in his life that he can look up to. Plenty of women, but not a lot of guys. Which was one reason I enrolled him in scouts. I knew he would probably get one of two teachers for this year. I didn't know much about either one but I trusted his 5th grade teacher to suggest someone who would be a good fit for him.
I actually hoped he would get the male teacher because in middle school he'll have a lot more and it would help if he got used to it now. I had my first male teacher in 6th grade too and it was one of my favorite years.
The first two weeks of school...were not fun. For any of us I think. The teacher was trying to learn Jake's cues and how to read him but Jake wasn't helping him much. He was too busy having anxiety attacks and not communicating effectively. I really can't say I'm surprised and I was a little prepared for it. It took a while but I think the three of us have finally reached a point where everything is working pretty well. Jake is getting better at communicating and his teacher is more aware of his cues now.
I think it helped that I am up at school for a majority of the week, volunteering in the library. Jake doesn't come and see me much but I know it brings him a piece of mind knowing I'm there if he needs me. It's also enabled the teacher and I to deal with any issues quickly before they become a major issue.
While his grades weren't as good as they probably should have been first quarter he did make the B honor roll so it wasn't a total loss. I know that he will work hard to bring them up this next quarter.
My only concern lately is what a little hypochondriac the boy has become. I know it's part of the anxiety but I swear you would think he was dying to hear him talk about it. Some days I ask him how old he is because he acts older than his great grandmother! The medicine has helped a lot with that but there are still times when it becomes an issue. At least he takes it without much fanfare nowdays. It's nice to not have to fight with him in the morning about the meds.
The tics are pretty much under control most days. At least the vocal ones. I have noticed lately that his physical tics are still there a majority of the time but they're not extremely distracting. Some eye squinting and sticking his tongue out like a snake seem to be the common ones right now. But they don't get in the way of his daily activities so I think we can live with them. =)
All in all, he's doing pretty good right now. Being in scouts is helping him tremendously by giving him some confidence and interacting with other males that are closer to his age. I'm so glad he's enjoying it and that it's doing him some good.
Things can only go up from her!
